Friday, July 13, 2012

The Man in the Mansion

Booth and Brennan are checking out a mansion where a rich guy was found dead.

Do you have therapy today, she asks? Oh, so he's still seeing Wyatt? I thought it was a one time thing. If the role is recurring that's all the more reason I wish it had been ASH. She points out that he's not wearing his usual colorful socks and ties.

Didn't know that Booth wore wild socks and crazy ties. Even if I didn't notice his socks, you'd think I'd have seen his ties. Wyatt says it was quiet rebellion and he's working to change that, so he changed his wardrobe. But Wyatt had talked about Booth needing control. What about his dress being a form of personal control and expression due to the homogenuity in the FBI that really does need to be resisted I think. Why make him one of the Men in Black by changing tie and socks? Can repression be healthy? Is Wyatt really a quack?

He says Wyatt always introduces himself as Gordon, Gordon Wyatt. Brennan said that's like James Bond. So, she knows who James Bond is.

Inside the mansion, Booth remarks, "This statue is worth more than my house." She says, "you should ask your therapist about your issues with rich people." Cam is already at the scene. Cam didn't know he was in therapy. Bones announced it to the whole mansion. Cam finds it amusing. Who knows what she thinks of their break up. Doesn't seem to be giving it a second thought. Wonder if we'll follow up with her feelings in a future episode. As for Booth having a problem with wealth, in the past, Temp has rubbed his lack of wealth in his face, telling him that the other agent's place was 10x nicer than hers and the like. So, it seems hypocritical of her to say he has a problem with it. although he did say it when they were doing that boarding school case.

Booth was unusually sympathetic to the victim's wife. Didn't question her much. He doesn't seem to think she's a suspect, so she probably did it is my guess.

Turns out Hodgins knew the dead man and his wife, but he takes a photograph out of a frame that shows him with them. He tells the wife, Clarissa, they'd take him off the case if they knew he had a personal connection.

Would Hodgins' bosses really remove him from the investigation if they knew he knew the victim a long time ago (before he was able to grow a beard). Brennan and Bones seem to work on cases where they know the people involved (Angela for one, when her boyfriend went missing, Brennan in New Orleans for another).

Angela and Brennan talk. She's been out with Sully 4-6 times and he still hasn't made a move on her. Well, 4 since bumping into each other in the diner doesn't count. Angela says, "Is this Sully damaged goods or is he just respectful." So, those are my choices, Brennan asks?

Angela tells her not to make the first move and to pretend to be the girl for once. Sully told her to be a girl and be impressed by him playing basketball earlier. She says, "Why is everyone so anxious for me to be a girl?" Well, maybe by contrast she'll appreciate the fact that Booth thinks of her as just a guy.

Sully is also worried about the progression of their romance. Booth to Sully who is looking for advice, "I'm not going to help you get my partner into bed."

"It's not like you want her," Sully says. Booth only tightens his jaw. So, he does want her Sully concludes. "That is why you need psychiatric treatement because you have the hots for your partner." I think Sully has hit the nail on the head, but he was just kidding, because he goes right back to asking Booth for advice and says that Brennan probably needs a guy to move slow, but if he moves TOO slow that could be just as damaging as moving too fast.

Sully wanted Brennan to see him out on the court, but it's not pretty. Professional sports might be exciting, but watching 30-40 year old white collar guys play recreational basketball is not the way to impress a girl.

Brennan is sitting behind other women on the bleachers who indicate Sully won't shower with the other guys and must have a small penis. His nickname is "Peanut." Well, that's just a script red herring. My guess is his partner died and Booth didn't say how. You'd think Brennan would have asked. Maybe Sully was scarred during that incident when the partner was killed and that's why he won't disrobe.

Wyatt says that his provisional certification letting Booth return to work won't last unless Booth continues to meet with him. I don't like that. It's like they cheated to get that ending last week where Wyatt signs Booth's release for dramatic reasons and are now rewriting it. That's not how it felt when the last show ended very movingly and I'd prefer that Booth was going to see Wyatt voluntarily anyway.

Booth tells Wyatt about the case. He says he's a forensic psychiatrist and could offer insight. Wyatt asks if rich guy's wife had a lover, something Booth hadn't investigated. So, I was right that Booth did too easily dismiss the wife as a s suspect. Wyatt asks if he is he biased against rich, entitled men.

After speaking to Wyatt, he decides to pull a little con on the victim's wife to find out if she was cheating on her husband. I'll be mad if Hodges warns Clarissa what Booth is doing.

At the widow's house, she asks, "What kind of doctor is Jack?" Will Booth catch on to the use of his first name by a stranger? I don't know if they wanted us to suspect that Hodgins might have been her lover. I didn't think he was, because they'd indicated that he hadn't seen Clarissa or her husband Terry in years.

Booth did catch the use of "Jack" by Clarissa. Hey he is mentally quick on the job as Brennan had said. I'm only noticing him doing that recently. He pushes Hodgins about the relationship with Clarissa and Hodgins confesses. Booth tells him he ought to arrest him for tampering with evidence. If this goes to trial, Hodgins will have to be conveniently out of town. And he better start looking for another job.

Back at the Jeffersonian, others are praising Jack's work. Booth huffs and they want to know what's wrong. In front of the whole gang (Angela most significantly), Booth says when Hodgins screws with evidence to get in the pants of an old girlfriend on one of his cases, that's a problem. He tosses Angela a look as he walks out. Drama queen much?

Caroline, the New Orleans attorney, is back. I guess the ptb like her, this is her third episode. She's the prosecutor on this case. I guess she didn't live in New Orleans, Booth brought her there to help Brennan, so it's not as remarkable that she's here in Washington as I thought it was before.

Hodgins says he was engaged to Clarissa, but then she started seeing Bancroft and it fell apart. He hadn't been in contact with either of them for 8 years.

Will there be a soft rapprochement between Booth and Hodgins where Booth apologizes to him without actually aying the words? Booth is not just worried about his case. He feels betrayed to a certain extent, I think. Not completely dissimilar to what Angela must feel.

Booth tells Jack that like every other rich guy in the world he figures the rules didn't apply to him.

Cam says Jack's off the case. Booth says he should be off the job. Brennan tells him that's not his decision.

The whole crew (except Hodgins) testifies at trial. So, why did I see Angela sitting in the audience listening to testimony? Witnesses are not supposed to hear other witnesses.

I like Cam's hair when it is down. I like the straightness. I wonder who styles Tamara's hair.

Angela is laughing it up giving Temp advice about Sully's small penis (I don't think that's his problem) and it's like she's not even fazed by what Hodgins did. I guess we'll get to her feelings later.

Booth tells Wyatt about Hodgins. Did he confront him physically. Booth laughs, "yeah, that's my main skill." That's really not true. He doesn't really get rough with people, and he stops Brennan from doing so sometimes, but he does physically hurry them along. Just because he's in therapy is no reason for them to try to make it seem like he has more personality problems than he has actually exhibited. The truth is, he hasn't been harboring resentment against Hodgins all of this time and I resent them changing the nature of that relationship just to give Wyatt something to diagnose.

Booth's from Pittsburgh. From the streets. You rebel in your way your friend rebels in his, Wyatt says. We all have to overcome our upbringings, rich and poor a like.

Wyatt thinks Booth has been anxious lately. Tells him to go back to his old clothes. Loud ties, socks and belt buckles. He tells Booth, the buckle is provacative because it's a modern day codpiece, forces the eye to the groin. Booth does a doubletake and pulls at his bare waistband. I guess he's not afraid to shower with others!

The defense reveals that Hodgins was once engaged to the victim's wife. Caroline acts like they kept this from her, but she knew that they had an intimate relationship, which is why she cut Hodgins off when he was about to reveal it and left the room back when she interviewed him.

Brennan says that, despite what he concealed, Hodgins' evidence was spot on and she doesn't need his resignation when he proffers it. I like her style. Maybe she recalls the time they spent buried alive together, thanks to the Gravedigger. He then extends the resignation to Cam who takes it without glee, but without reluctance either.

Hodgins walks into the bar and Booth ignores him, absorbed in a newspaper. At least he's not smothering him with a pillow like Wesley! Jack says he's quit. Booth says that was stupid. If he'd gotten fired he'd get a severance package. Hodgins said a guy like Booth might respect him quitting more than getting fired and that would put things right between them. I didn't know he longed for Booth's respect. I knew Zach did.

Hodgins says considering his quitting, "Do we need to discuss it past that?" Booth smiles and says, "what are we? Girls? Give me some pie for my friend." An olive branch. Hodgins is relieved.

They see Caroline and the defense attorney laughing during lunch and Temp says she doesn't see how they can do it, be friendly after all the acrimony as opponents in the courtroom. Yes, I don't see how that happens either. That's why I don't do it. Booth reveals that Caroline and the defense attorney were married and have a daughter in college. Hodgins says doesn't anyone else see the irony, since he was thrown off the case for having been engaged 8 years ago to the victim's wife?

The only irony I see is that they are all openly eating lunch together and listening to each other's testimony during a trial. It's especially strange when the judge only declined not to dismiss the case if the rest of them could find evidence that nailed the defendant and prove that Hodgins had absolutely nothing to do with developing that evidence. Yes, it's one thing to take them at their word, but the appearance of impropriety is just as bad in the eyes of the law as the actual act of impropriety. You'd think they could keep their distance from Hodgins for 5 minutes, just for the sake of anyone watching them.

Caroline tells them all off for being stupid these last few weeks. Booth dropping people off of roofs. Angela telling information to victims' fathers, Zach touching bodies with explosives in them, Cam getting poisoned ("cutting into heads before their time"), taking photographs from frames: Jack. Getting her car smashed to bits (Booth again who was driving her car when he apprehended Brennan's dad). It's like the writers are making fun of themselves for having the characters act ridiculously to further the plot. I don't think she said that Brennan did anything wrong lately though.

She thinks the team is good together. They just need to shape up and her official justice department recommendation is that if they win the case Hodgins gets his job back. Well, that's convenient for the continued story, I guess, but I don't think the Justice Dept. would really recommend that. She says that if they lose the case, Booth should shoot Jack.

Hodgins holds Angela's hand as they wait for the verdict. I guess she didn't think she had anything to forgive. I thought that it would cause friction between them, not the engagement 8 years ago, but the fact that he lied and concealed it from not the rest of them, but her. But that's not the way she feels. Later, as he shows her old pictures of him and the dead guy, she is touched by his emotion and brings his face close to hers.

Verdict is guilty. Cam tears up Hodgins' resignation and he looks on and smiles.

At the gym, Brennan decides to make the first move and goes up to Sully and passionately kisses him. The next day at work, she tells Angela that Sully doesn't like to shower with the others because he is so big, not because he's smaller. Not really amusing to me, though Angela and Brennan have a great laugh. Temp discovered that cops call you a nick name that is opposite from what you really are. So, the big guy is named Tiny; the bald guy is curly; When they called Sully "peanut" it meant the opposite, she is saying to Angela. They are walking towards Brennan's office and Booth is sitting aside waiting for Temp. It's not clear how much of this conversation that Booth has heard. But he asks, "What does that mean?" Brennan says it means "you stand out in a crowd." Then, Angela says, "do you have a nickname, Booth? Something the other cops call you?" Hilarious. She hasn't flirted with him in a long time. He just looks up towards the corner of the ceiling with a sly look on his face and says, "Why what have you heard?" Like Buffy, sometimes I just want to bask for a minute.

Angela leaves and he says his socks, etc. were all escape valves for his socio-economic rage. Temp says she hates psychology. He says it helps him deal with the day to day aggravation of dealing with people who are more privileged. I guess he means people like her.

She blurts out, "I slept with Sully last night."

He says he thought they already had. Don't know if he is lying or if he thinks they did after he talked to Sully.

Of course, DB's genius is not only the way he delivers a line, but he's good at fidgeting too. With his close set eyes, he often looks like they're crossed anyway, but he uses that to his advantage when he is deliberately making a funny face. Very delightful. Brennan happily said, no she hadn't slept with Sully before. It was last night. He said it's none of his business. She said, "except we're partners." Yes, there's that Booth says. They're partners and that's the reason he can't make a move on her himself. They're partners and wanting to make a move on her and not being able to may be why he's in therapy. Besides, Brennan continues, "and you told me about your socks." Too cute. He says, "Socks, sex pretty much the same word." When she leaves the room he says, "Yeah, I'm going to need a flashier tie." Ha, wait until Wyatt finds out about his conflicted feelings for Brennan. He'll be telling him to wear multi-colored hats, along with the tie, buckle and socks, to deal with his many frustrations!
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There was a Bones panel at Comic-Con. I don't read about what went on because I don't want to get spoiled. Even when you're careful, you learn things. For instance just scanning headlines they talk about a wedding between Bones/Booth next year. I can ignore that, but they said the 7th season was about murder. So, now I know that someone died last year, probably one of the regular cast members. If I don't want to know how, I can't read any more information about the show. I don't plan to speed through this series like I did Buffy/Angel (still have the last season of Angel to go. I'm reluctant for it to tend and reluctant to see Spike/Angel friction). First of all, I don't have the inclination to watch 3-4 episodes in a row, like I did with Buffy/Angel. Second, if it's a good ride, I want to savor it, so I have to keep myself from hearing about what's ahead.

I did read tweets saying how funny DB was at the panel though. It's strange because I've only seen him on Regis and he's NOT been funny on those appearances. He was pleasant enough, polite, but not even interesting, save for his relationship with Art Mohr. Maybe he would have a different personality with night time talk show hosts, but that begs the question. Why doesn't he do Leno/Letterman, etc. But other actors who are funny are funny on Regis and Kelly. Anderson Cooper is hilarious on it. I wonder why more of DB's humor didn't come off on that show. Again, I wonder if it was obvious to Whedon when DB was hired. It must've been because Buffy was a comedy show and he must have cast people he thought could handle it. Angel wasn't funny until the second season, but when you write a vampire with a soul, you plan for him to lose it. So, I know they planned for Angel to murder all along, did they plan for him to be hilarious? They must have seen that spark in DB, because he's 8 years older than SMG. He's so much taller than she is and he's not exactly a teen idol (actually though I think Angel was converted when he was 26, so he is even older than Buffy than DB is older than SMG) in the looks department. So, he must've gotten the job because someone thought he was a riot. He actually is. I'll have to listen to the Bones' audio commentary to get a better idea of his personality, but I'm rather surprised that more of his potential didn't come through when I saw him on Regis and Kelly. I saw Anderson Cooper as a Conan guest before I ever saw him on CNN and I knew from that appearance alone that I wanted to see more of this cute, clever, comical and self-effacing guy who was Gloria Vanderbuilt's son. I've seen DB on the daytime show at least 8-10 times and I never once thought, "This guy's got something." But now I've been watching him almost every night for the last 7-8 months, one way or another, so obviously, he's got something that's got me.

Heard he told Emily she had pretty eyes at the panel today. Well she does. They're like gray glass. Of course, Gillian remains my breath-taking beauty and my heart has not been stolen by Temperance.

1 comment:

  1. No one died in s7 unless they meant Vincent Nigel-Murray in 6.

    I still can’t believe it took to s9 to have the wedding.

    ReplyDelete